YoungLife Africa

I heard/saw via Facebook that Nkosi was in America for All Staff Conference. I was so excited that he could be here (even though I never dreamed I'd get to see him!). I also was sad, though, because I wonder what it's like for a Zimbabwean to come see all these spoiled, rich people in America living their lives oblivious to the fact that there are starving people back in his hometown. I know not everyone is spoiled and not everyone is oblivious... but most of the time we all act as if we are, myself included. I've seen the poverty firsthand, but what am I doing about it? I'm going through college living the most selfish years of my life. Most of what I'm doing right now is for me. Paying lots of money to make myself educated and better suited for a job, and I hate that. I don't want to be living selfishly... but this is where God has me right now. I haven't come this far to give up now. So hopefully once I do get that degree I can use it to help people, to make a difference.

I think of and miss Africa often, but it stopped being an every day thing after a while. I still want to go back, desperately... but I don't think about it constantly. I wrote on Nkosi's wall to see if he would be coming to Knoxville, and HE SAID HE WAS! I was thrilled to hear this! I'll have to talk more about him specifically in another post. He is probably the most genuine person I have ever met. His life is so simple, so impoverished, but yet he loves so hard. He loves Young Life leaders, he loves high school kids, and above all he loves the Lord. So well. He has had a rough, sad life. He has nothing to offer but Jesus Christ. But, man, does he offer Him to others.

I was so blessed to get to spend a few weeks watching Nkosi live his life in Zimbabwe, but how cool that he got to come and see a glimpse of my life?! I hope he enjoyed it instead of just being completely disgusted by it. I only got to see him briefly at the Young Life house when he and two other Africans came to share about their ministries. It was incredible to hear and so cool that I could actually picture what they were talking about since I had seen life in Zimbabwe. It made that longing and desire to go back even stronger. I miss it.